Editing Amaryllis in the Ice Country:Chapter 10 (section)

===Part O===

The operation’s simple.

I’ll be bait and run with all my might, luring the robot behind the mound. Götz and Eisbahn will the flank and attack. Viscaria will watch the screen and give instructions on the timing.

The chances of winning is minimal. However, with the looming threat impending, there’s no time to create a more intricate strategy, and no matter how reckless this strategy, we can only roll the dice on it. We have to protect the children and Cradles no matter what.

<i>“Target’s just ten meters away…!”</i>

Viscaria calls out through the wireless. The robot’s right before us; I duck in the shadows, waiting for the moment to charge out. I leave behind the Cradle for the time being, and continue to maintain operation through the emergency battery. We need to settle this within ten minutes.

Pew, Eisbahn tosses a pebble. It gets detected by the robot, and it stops immediately.

—Now…!

I immediately dash out. After several seconds of sprinting, I leap into the ditch in the ground. At the same time, a blue lightning fizzles past my head, and the echoes strike my hearing installation, making me feel repulsed.

—How about this…!?

The robot senses my existence, and hastens towards me. It seems the plan to lure his attention worked.

—Alright, come here!

I hide in the shadow, waiting for the opportune moment.

—I’m here!

The sound of the robot’s footsteps Loom. The land of ice is steaming all over, like a carpet covering it. This power able to topple the landscape cause me to shiver.

<i>“—Another three steps.”</i>

Viscaria’s voice echoes. This is followed by heavy footsteps.

<i>“Two!”</i>

Another footstep.

<i>“One!”</i>

I raise the ‘thing’ in my hand.

<i>“Zero!”</i>

The moment the robot steps forward, I raise the rod-shaped item—the heating headlight called the ‘Black Point’—and toss it at the nose of the robot. The heating headlight spins and glows, luring the robot’s attention, but it’ll take some time to aim and fire at an object up close. The headlight lands on the ground, and the robot swings down its heavy arm. This weight of the arm causes the robot to tilt forward, and lose its balance slightly—at this moment.

Two shadows creep in from behind the robot.

A red light flashes through, exploding on the back of the robot. The moment the explosions and sparks fly, Götz appears. The robot stumbles, and the blue light flashes as Eisbahn’s Phantom Blade, hitting it right in the face. Götz follows up after Eisbahn, striking with the ‘iron arm’, second, third, fourth, fifth, both of them launch continuous attacks. It’s a scene of a black sandbag being pummeled again and again. The red and blue lights continue to appear like explosions in an old movie. Finally, the robot falls forward.

—We beat it…!

Everyone has this thought. In fact, Viscaria’s cheering in the wireless. I too hop out from the ditch.

But.

At this moment, the robot’s eyes light up.

And its massive body starts to move. Even after such continuous attacks, it remains unscathed.

—This thing’s way too durable, isn’t it…!?

The world lights up again. Götz and Eisbahn attacks from the side, and explosions echo. However, the robot—ahh, how is that possible—it remains unscathed, unmoved.

And then, it’s the robot’s turn to work. With its massive arm, it shoves Götz in the opposite direction, sending him flying with a sweeping punch. Eisbahn uses this opportunity to swing the Phantom Blade, but the blue blade which he boasted could cut anything merely gives off sparks, and it gets repelled without being able to damage the armor. With the momentum of a large heavy machinery charging forward, the robot lunges at Eisbahn, who’s sent flying in this attack, landing and bouncing hard on the ground due to recoil.

And so the robot continues to move forward, as though nothing has happened.

—Ah, ahh…

It’s unbelievable. We carried out our strategy perfectly, and both attacks landed. However, they’re beaten without any result to show for it. Götz lands headfirst into the ground, and Eisbahn’s lying prone by the side.

<i>“You’re kidding…”</i>

Viscaria’s voice is almost a shirek. We lost our reliable duo, and we’re rooted to the spot. The robots approach us; I can’t move, and neither can Viscaria. One step, two steps, three steps. Ahh, we’re going to die. It’s over, we’re going to be killed. We finally made it all the way here—

I close my eyes. At this moment,

Thunk, a sound echoes, and a small pebble rolls over.

—Eh!?

The demon notices the pebble, and after a pause, it slowly changes its direction. It notices the back of the mound—the place where the children are hiding.

—This is bad!!

The children glared at by the black demon starts to shiver. They shield the Cradles behind them with their bodies, frozen in fear as though witnessing a mass murderer invading a childcare center.

And then, the robot raises its arm. The massive arm has a barrel, and it’s charging up. Also, it’s aiming at the children.

—Ah, ahh.

<i>“Sister!” “Amaryllis!” “Welcome back!” “Hug me!” “I want petting.” “Sing something.” “Aching pain.” “I can’t sleep.” “I love you.” “Welcome home!” “Today, today.” “I did a lot today!”</i>

—Everyone…! This big sister is, going right now…!

The voices of the children echo in my Mind Circuit, and I leap up to charge out.

“Yahhh!!”

I head straight towards the robot, and slam into it hard with my shoulder. However, my body’s bounced back by the thick armor, and I tumble back.

“Over here…!”

I shout. This is to divert the robot’s attention from the children.

“Your opponent is me…!! Come here…!!”

And the robot again turns towards me. It loads up energy in its arm, and the barrel’s targeting my face—the distance is so close, I can feel the white smoke oozing from the barrel spraying on my face.

“Everyone, run!!”

The moment I yell, a blue light flashes by. Right when I think I’m dead, an explosion echoes behind. The laser misses.

“Waaahhh!”

A yell comes, and the robot’s leg is hugged by a red-haired lady.

“The next shot is coming!! Only the right arm has a weapon! Watch for enemy movements! Anyway, stall for time!!”

Viscaria quickly gives instructions as she hugs the robot’s leg. The sound of her shoulder and hair being burned is ever so clear.

—Right, got to buy some time…!!

I stand up, and adjust myself. I look over, and see the children running to the generator while carrying the Cradles. Even if it’s just a minute, we need to delay the enemy here.

“Watch its movements! It’s slow and easy to predict!!”

Viscaria stumbles about as she gives instructions. Following her instruction, I capture the robot’s movements with my eyes. The robot’s trying to aim at Viscaria at its leg.

—I won’t let you!

I immediately grab the right arm of the robot, and then, the robot strikes at me without mercy...

—Ahh!!

The powerful energy tries through my body, and my left leg—



Is instantly reduced to dust.

At that moment,

“You bastard!!”

This time, Viscaria climbs onto the face of the robot. The robot’s line of sight is blocked, and obviously somewhat erratic; it raises its left arm, smacking at her body.

In an instant, Viscaria’s body—or rather, the area around the waist is jammed in by the five fingers of the robot, her body’s stabbed through, and her Circuits are pulled out—

Viscaria’s shattered.

But even though her body’s ripped into half, she continues to exhibit the will to fight. She extends her feelers, latches onto the robot’s head tightly, and keeps tapping at something. Finally, the robot becomes irregular in motion, merely flailing its arm about as though its eyes are covered. Viscaria has disabled the external sensors; this really is a combat style befitting a master technician.

I too continue to fight my way. I latch at the robot’s arm firmly, trying my best not to be thrown off. I continue to keep my balance, just as I always do on the icemobile, and keep stalling for time.

But the resistance doesn’t last for long.

The robot swings its arm violently at us, shooting the laser everywhere, and my vision flickers like disco lights. Viscaria’s again ripped apart, the flying Circuits spilling like intestines. Finally, Viscaria’s sent flying away, knocking into a mound, and rolls onto the ground like a rag cloth.

Then, it’s my turn. The robot smashes me onto the ground as I keep latching at the right arm. With the arm and the floor clashing, my chest is being pressed upon, and it collapses along with an unnerving cracking sound. I spit out lots of grease, my vision’s completely gone, and quite a few parts have flown out. Then, I drop.

“Ah, uu…ahh, uu…”

My voice installation has malfunctioned, and the groans ooze out along with grease. My body’s heating, the sirens in my mind wailing, my chest is giving off sparks, and my body’s bouncing about, writhing.

The black demon’s closing in on me. I stab my dislocated left arm into the ground, and reach out my right arm, with half the fingers fallen off, trying to help myself off the ground. However, the circuits beneath the chest are all damaged, and my body can’t act accordingly.

The robot looms in on us. My final thoughts are whether the children managed to get away successfully, whether the Cradles are fine. If so, that’s fine; it’s great to be able to help everyone—

Mentally, I brace for my impending demise.

A scarlet red.

At first, it’s Götz. The robot senses him, and the moment it turns around, Götz’s ‘iron arm’ is giving off a red light. The full impact explodes on the robot’s right arm, and the massive right arm of the robot splatters. “Cavalry—” he lands the final blow, “Is the embodiment of thy soul.”

His iron arm’s giving off a red light, clashing with the right arm of the robot.

The impact rips through the air, and the explosion engulfs the world in a wave. After a pause, the light dissipates, and Götz’s right arm—no, the right half of the body—is turned to dust, and vanishes. Götz’s left only with the head and upper body, lying next to Viscaria, unable to move.

But even so, the robot stands there. Its right arm is smoking, and the gun is open and melted. Following that—



A blue light



“The one thing I hate most in this world—”

The blond guy stands at where Götz was. Right when the robot’s raising its right arm, Eisbahn stabs his right arm into the barrel of the robot—like a certificated kept back in a cylinder.

“Is a bastard who attacks women, you know?”

Then, he exhibits maximum power. The right arm storing the Phantom Blade gives off a blue light, and the robot’s right arm expands as though engulfed in flames; the joints in the brain, arm, and limbs are all giving off blue light.

At the final moments, the robot shrieks. The shrill cry echoes through the world of ice, and the iron man faces the sky. To me, it sounds like a cry.

And then, the robot explodes.